In the cold, damp basement, several men watched with impassive faces as Fang Ming was bound to an iron bed. The village chief and several other village elders stood by, their expressions grim.
The bare iron bed was covered in strange runes. Black iron chains fixed Fang Ming's limbs to the bed at the head and foot. Beside it stood a man-sized iron rack, laden with various knives, each etched with peculiar symbols.
"Chief, everything is ready," a man said, approaching the chief.
The chief nodded. "Begin."
"Is it starting?" Fang Ming glanced at the chief, secretly swallowing the candy hidden under his tongue.
Instantly, Fang Ming's consciousness felt light and ethereal. His perspective rose, finally allowing him to observe "himself" on the iron bed from a god-like vantage point. The connection between his consciousness and body simultaneously severed.
The Fang Ming on the iron bed became listless without Fang Ming's consciousness to guide him, staring blankly at the ceiling. The chief and the others noticed this but paid it little mind, perhaps assuming the "woman" had given up struggling.
Heeding the chief's command, several men positioned themselves around the iron bed. They exchanged glances and nodded.
"Riiiiip! Riiiiip!..." With sounds of tearing fabric, Fang Ming's clothes were removed, revealing flesh as white as jade. Yet, the onlookers' eyes showed no flicker of emotion, as if they were looking at mere slabs of pork.
"Jade brush, blood sand." One man was designated as the main surgeon, with others assisting.
A five-inch-long jade brush was handed to the chief surgeon. Another man presented an inkstone beside him.
The chief surgeon dipped the brush into some blood sand and first drew runes on the back of his own hands and palms. He then took a black silk ribbon, also drew runes on it, and finally used it to cover Fang Ming's eyes.
"Seal the soul!" the chief surgeon suddenly roared, swiftly drawing extensive runes over Fang Ming's head until the entire surface was covered. He then took a deep breath and stopped.
"Quick, first offering!" the chief surgeon called to a man beside him. The man hurried to a corner on the east side, lit a blood-red candle, and seeing the steady flame, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the blood candle did not extinguish, it meant the most crucial and dangerous first step was complete. The person's soul was sealed within their body by a secret technique, and no matter the torment, they would not truly die.
Taking a deep breath, the chief surgeon raised the brush again. "Generate blood!"
This time, the chief surgeon began drawing runes on Fang Ming's limbs. The area to be covered was larger, but the difficulty was significantly reduced. It was completed in less than half an hour.
"Second offering!"
Another man went to the west corner of the basement and lit an incense stick made of bone. It also burned steadily, emitting a pale smoke.
"Living flesh!" The chief surgeon resumed his work, drawing on the last remaining areas of Fang Ming's body.
"Third offering!"
Another man went to the south corner and lit a piece of parchment. A faint blue flame rose.
Simultaneously, as the runes on Fang Ming's body were completed and the third offering was made, three wisps of black smoke appeared from the direction of the third offering. They converged into a ball and merged into Fang Ming's body. The runes on his skin instantly activated, emitting a faint blood-red glow.
Seeing this, the chief surgeon exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow. He approached the chief. "Chief, the secret technique has been activated. We can begin the cutting."
"Begin the cutting." The chief looked at Fang Ming calmly. However, Fang Ming's consciousness had long since departed and registered no reaction to the chief's demeanor.
The chief surgeon returned to the iron bed and extended his hand to the other men. "Knife number one."
A man quickly retrieved a three-inch steel knife from the rack and handed it to him.
The chief surgeon carefully found the spot, starting the incision just below Fang Ming's hairline and drawing the knife straight down. Fang Ming's body began to writhe in pain, struggling uncontrollably. Even without conscious control, the body's instincts could not endure such agony.
"Hold her down!" the chief surgeon snapped impatiently, looking at the struggling Fang Ming.
Several men moved closer to the iron bed, holding Fang Ming down firmly. No matter how he struggled, it was in vain.
Blood flowed from the cut, then traced the lines of the runes on his skin, eventually converging into several main channels that flowed onto the iron bed.
The runes on the iron bed lit up the moment they came into contact with the blood. The blood then flowed along the runes on the bed, collecting into a single line following the pattern of the runes and into a pre-prepared collection container.
The chief surgeon's knife split Fang Ming's skin lengthwise, then skillfully inserted the blade and began separating flesh from bone bit by bit, as if he were not dissecting a living person but processing livestock.
Fang Ming watched this scene from his god-like perspective, a chill spreading through him. These madmen of Bai Mu Village were so reckless with human lives, and with such cruel methods.
It was hard to believe that this scene had actually occurred in the real Bai Mu Village!
Just witnessing it made Fang Ming feel overwhelmed. He couldn't imagine experiencing it himself. The original owner of this body, having endured such an ordeal, must have harbored a desire to consume every villager of Bai Mu.
At that very moment, Fang Ming resolved that he would show no mercy to these "demons." They could no longer be considered human; they were something far more terrifying than monsters!
Suppressing his inner fear, Fang Ming continued to watch the scene below.
The chief surgeon had separated a portion of the skin and then, switching knives, cut it away, arranging it neatly on a prepared tray. He then repeated the process.
An hour later, the skin on Fang Ming's body had been entirely removed, revealing exposed flesh and veins. The person was no longer beautiful but horrifying! And the runes had penetrated deep into the flesh, remaining even after the skin was gone.
"Knife number six." The chief surgeon took another steel knife from his assistant. This one was hook-shaped, with a sharp spoon-like tip.
Fang Ming had never seen such a knife before, but he immediately recognized its purpose: to carve out flesh and bone.
Indeed, the chief surgeon's next actions confirmed Fang Ming's guess. He skillfully began at the leg, meticulously carving away Fang Ming's flesh.
Fang Ming's body had struggled until it was exhausted. Facing the intense pain, all that remained was the occasional twitch. His mouth moved silently, wishing these people would just kill him. The torture had exceeded the body's limit, and due to the runes, he couldn't even commit suicide.
"I will definitely avenge you!" Fang Ming gritted his teeth, his heart cursing the ancestors of these villagers countless times.
"Kill me..." Fang Ming's body seemed to sense Fang Ming's rage, its gaze fixed on the ceiling above, meeting Fang Ming's consciousness eye to eye.
What a gaze it was – despair, helplessness, terror... Fang Ming couldn't bear to look any longer and closed his eyes in resignation, not wanting to see another second.
The sounds of scraping bone and metal continued to reach Fang Ming's ears. As a disembodied consciousness, he couldn't block them out, so he could only endure.
Several hours later, with the crowing of a rooster, the scraping sounds finally ceased. Fang Ming finally opened his eyes.
Dawn had broken.
The village chief and elders had left. The flesh carved from Fang Ming's body had also been taken away, their purpose unknown. Only a few men remained to clean up, along with a skeleton hollowed out of its flesh – a living skeleton.
Fang Ming's consciousness slowly began to sink, gradually returning to his body. There was no searing pain, as Fang Ming scoffed inwardly. This body was reduced to mere useless bones and a sealed soul; how could it feel physical pain?
"Clean this place up, then throw this skeleton into the old well," one man ordered. The others responded perfunctorily, continuing their work. In their eyes, dealing with "Fang Ming" was less important than their current tasks.
Finally, amidst reluctant grumbles, a younger man was chosen to dispose of Fang Ming.
This young man found a tattered cloth bag, unceremoniously scooped Fang Ming into it, and then carried the sack outside.
Half an hour later, with a splash, a large amount of putrid liquid flooded into the bag, gradually submerging Fang Ming. The light filtering through the sack grew dimmer and dimmer, finally disappearing entirely.
Fang Ming's consciousness felt drowsy. Having had his sensory organs removed, he could barely perceive any external information, relying only on his consciousness for vague sensations.
"Hee hee hee..."
A strange laugh entered Fang Ming's consciousness, slightly jolting him awake.
"Who are you?" Fang Ming asked in his mind.
"I've been missing you for a long time." The voice seemed to be right beside his ear, belonging to a woman. No, it sounded more like a girl? Her voice suggested she wasn't very old.
Fang Ming suddenly recalled the strange reflection he had seen in the mirror earlier.
"Are you the one who appeared in the mirror before?"
The other party did not answer Fang Ming's question, instead slowly dragging him deeper. Fang Ming's consciousness grew increasingly hazy, but this also brought him a sense of relief. This hazy feeling...
...
Opening his eyes, Fang Ming looked up at the night sky. There were no stars, only a crescent moon half-hidden by dark clouds. He touched his face and looked at his clothes.
Without a doubt, he had returned to reality!
That hazy feeling was the same one he experienced when he first entered Bai Mu Village.
He had indeed returned.
The diary!
Fang Ming quickly flipped open the diary in his backpack.
"I have returned to reality from Bai Mu Village. Following the principal's hint, I began searching for a way to enter Bai Mu Village. Recalling my experiences in Bai Mu Village, I suddenly thought of the old well into which I was sunk. Perhaps that was the breakthrough. So, I began searching for the well's location based on my memory. It turned out the well was right beneath my feet. I used the small shovel I carried to dig away the dirt covering the well's opening and found a skull. Placing the skull in front of me, I finally entered Bai Mu Village..."